Agricultural work often involves long, tedious hours in the fields, driving agricultural machines over all portions of each field to perform various tasks, such as seeding, fertilizing, harvesting, tilling, and the like. In addition, the paths to travel in the field must be carefully followed to cover the entire field efficiently and to avoid damage to the crop that is growing. Such work is highly fatiguing, and chance of error increases dramatically over time.
The advent of modern technologies, such as GPS positioning systems, visual guidance systems, and machine control systems, have opened the door to automating many functions that formerly were required to be performed by the repetitious manual operations of individual workers.
One such function involves the guidance control of mobile machines, such as agricultural machines for use in the fields. However, the tolerances required to guide an agricultural machine along rows of crops for extended periods of time create problems which make practical use of the above technologies difficult, if not impossible. For example, an agricultural machine in a field must traverse difficult terrain and yet maintain tolerances within centimeters to avoid damage to crops.
The addition of visual guidance systems, such as light bar guidance systems, offers some assistance in guiding an agricultural machine along these close tolerances. However, light bar guidance systems must be monitored closely, and maintaining this monitoring over long periods of time is difficult and tiring.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.